Edinburgh-based software pioneer Novarum DX is to team up with the London-based fuel contamination testing company Conidia BioScience, to develop a new mobile app to improve testing for hazardous microbial fuel contamination.

Requiring only a droplet of water in fuel to thrive, microbial growth can cause severe disruption and lost revenue, damaging aircraft and fuel storage tanks. The problem also carries significant danger to flight passengers, for example, alongside environmental risks.

Examples of potential microbial growth disasters averted by the technology include an emergency diesel generator in a hospital that fails to start, a blocked fuel system in an aircraft, or a 50,000 gallon tank that has corroded and leaked out into the ground.

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The current process to identify microbial contamination requires technicians to carry out and interpret complex tests based on 200-year-old technology, on site, or send samples to laboratories and wait several days for results.

Conidia’s Fuelstat, ‘Ten Minute Test’ for microbial contamination in aviation and diesel fuel, uses so-called “immunoassay” technology endorsed by leading industry bodies including IATA, JIG, and the Energy Institute. It complies to worldwide standard D8070 and is used by major producers and users of fuels such as Shell, BP, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Emirates, and Qantas.

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It allows technicians simply take a sample, mix it into the provided testing bottle and apply four drops into the wells of the test, let the app take an image and give the absolute result. The result is then sent instantly to the manager’s or supervisor’s computer from wherever the test is done.

The simple three step process, including a centrally logged test interpretation, takes no longer than 15 minutes in total – using only a smartphone.

George Tippet, managing director of Conidia, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing this game-changing device to market. Fuelstat has the potential to transform the way the industry monitors microbial contamination in fuel. The industry is moving on from a reliance on complicated, hard-to-read tests that depend on the accuracy of the human eye.

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“We’re now entering a new landscape where we are harnessing the power of smartphones and enhanced image capture technology to drive advances in safety, security, compliance across key sectors – saving time, money, disruption and potentially, lives.”

Dr Neil Polwart, founder of Novarum DX and BBI Group head of mobile, said: “Microbial fuel contamination is a common and costly issue for the aviation industry and sectors that rely on diesel fuel to power their operations.

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The current microbial contaminates testing process relies on the ability of technicians with minimal training to carry out and interpret complex tests correctly on the ground at airfield sites and other industry locations. This is often a time-consuming process with the potential for human error.

“Novarum’s smartphone test reader technology combined with Conidia’s comprehensive, innovative immunoassay, creates a formidable solution to this complex challenge – improving process efficiency, accurate data capture and the potential for industry-wide compliance. We are proud to have developed this breakthrough product with Conidia, which will transform the way fuel contamination tests are performed. This technology improves accuracy while cutting waiting time from seven days to 15 minutes.”